First Year Writing @ City Tech

A summary briefly presents in your own words the main point and supporting ideas of a piece of writing. For the City Tech midterm and final exam, the summary of an essay or article should consist of one well-developed paragraph. Include:

The full name of the author

The title of the work

The kind of writing it is (essay)

The main point or thesis

Two or three supporting points of the author’s main argument/point

Please note:

You are asked on the exam to include a quoted sentence or phrase from the essay/article. Please do this. However, please also remember that most of the paragraph should be in your own words

Do NOT include any of your own opinions/responses to the essay in a summary

Things to notice:

Who: who is the author?

When: what specific era is he or she writing in or about? What is the date of publication? What do you know about that specific time in history?

Where: is the author focusing on a specific place?

How: does the author support his/her ideas mainly with a description of personal experience? An analysis of data? Textual evidence? Interviews?

The OpenLab at City Tech:A place to learn, work, and share

The OpenLab is an open-source, digital platform designed to support teaching and learning at New York City College of Technology (NYCCT), and to promote student and faculty engagement in the intellectual and social life of the college community.